Sailormoon Shadowstars
by CastellaStar
Summary: Earth is under attack once again. This time its in the future, and Usagi is the queen of Crystal Tokyo. Mysterious figures from the future are attacking, and two are calling themselves sailor senshi. This time though, the enemies are a bit different. R&R!
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1  
  
Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion sat together chatting happily, when a sound similar to thunder erupted around them. Serenity and Endymion both sat up straight at the noise, and were about to go check it out, when the sound of several clicking heels came into hearing.  
  
The fours soldiers..Sailor Mercury, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter..came rushing in.  
  
"Queen!" exclaimed Sailor Venus, "We're under attack!"  
  
"Under attack?!" exclaimed Serenity, quite bewildered. "That can't be right! Pluto would have told us!"  
  
"It's true!" exclaimed Sailor Mercury. "The entire world is under attack!" "The entire WORLD?!" repeated Endymion, standing up. "How can you be so sure?"  
  
"Chibi-moon, Saturn, and the quartet are checking it out," replied Sailor Mars. "Mercury located where the attacks are coming from, and there are several points spread all around the world!"  
  
"We must hurry then!" acknowledged Serenity. "Do what you can, my friends. I shall summon the others."  
  
"Right!" replied the four senshi simultaneously.  
  
With that, the four scouts ran off, with Jupiter's voice echoing, "Time to kick some Nega-butt!"  
  
"I shall see what I can do about getting the people to safety," stated Endymion, walking off.  
  
"Yes, of course," agreed Serenity. "Please, be careful, Love."  
  
"Don't worry, Buns. I will."  
  
Serenity watched as he walked away and sighed. Pulling up the skirts of her dress so she could run, she hurried into a room not far away.  
  
Inside, there stood a large screen with several buttons below it. Serenity pushed a button which turned on the screen, and then pushed several other buttons.  
  
On the screen, the white-haired figure of a man appeared. His hair was somewhat wavy, but short, and he wore long white robes. His amber eyes shone out from his pale face where he stood looking around.  
  
"Helios," called Serenity. "Helios! It's an emergency."  
  
The man turned, looking at her in surprise. "Neo-Queen Serenity!" he gasped, bowing down. "Forgive me for not seeing you."  
  
"No need for an apology," replied Serenity, smiling a bit. The seriousness returned to her face and voice as she continued. "As I said before, we have an emergency! The entire Earth is under attack. The prayers of you and your shrine maidens may be needed, so please do what you can."  
  
"Of course," replied Helios. "We shall do everything we can to protect our home."  
  
"Please, watch over Rini," whispered Serenity.  
  
"I will personally protect her, your Majesty."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Serenity pushed several more buttons, and the screen changed to reveal two women. They were both dressed in the fuku of the sailor soldiers; one with short, white-blonde hair; the other with wavy, shoulder- length, aqua green hair.  
  
"Haruka! Michiru! It's an emergency!" exclaimed Serenity.  
  
The two soldiers looked up, standing to attention.  
  
"Yes, Queen!" replied the tall blonde, Haruka.  
  
"The soldiers are already doing what they can, but they may need help. Please, do what you can."  
  
"We will," replied Michiru. "Thank you. Good luck, Uranus and Neptune."  
  
Typing in one button, the screen changed again to reveal a tall woman, with long, dark green hair, holding a staff. She was also dressed in the well-known outfit of the sailor soldiers.  
  
"Sailor Pluto," started Serenity.  
  
The woman whirled around, surprised. "Yes, my Queen?" she asked, "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Very," replied Serenity. "The world is under attack by some unknown enemy. I'm afraid that you will be needed."  
  
"Of course," stated Sailor Pluto, nodding.  
  
Typing in a few more buttons, Serenity thought, "Hopefully the last stop."  
  
Once again, the screen changed to reveal Sailor Pluto again. This one though, had an extremely worried face.  
  
"Sailor Pluto? What's wrong?" asked Serenity, taken aback by the look on the woman's face.  
  
"I'm sorry, my Queen," sobbed the woman. "Six people managed to do time travel. They escaped."  
  
"Then it must be them who are attacking us!" exclaimed Serenity. "Do you know when they came from?"  
  
"The future," replied Sailor Pluto. 


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Sailor Moon. The characters that are not owned by Naoko Takeuchi are owned by CastellaStar.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"Dear, oh, dear," sighed Serenity. "How did this happen?"  
  
"The doors flew open suddenly, and they just streaked away!" cried Pluto.  
  
"Continue to stand guard. I have sent your Earth-self to help. I believe I'll contact the Starlights."  
  
"Yes, my Queen."  
  
Serenity flipped off the screen, and pushed a different button on the wall. A crackling noise sounded, and a voice called out, "Yes? Princess Kakyu speaking."  
  
"Hello, this is Neo-Queen Serenity. We have an emergency, and the Starlights are in need," stated Serenity.  
  
"Of course. I'll send them right away. We will do what we can to help. If you need anything else, let us know. Good luck."  
  
"Thank you." Serenity walked back into the throne room and over to a window.  
  
Looking out, she could see people rushing back and forth in confusion. Some lines had formed, and Serenity watched as they filed into the protection shelters of the castle. In the distance, there was a sudden flash of light, soon followed by a thundering roar and screams. Serenity looked and saw two black dots high up in the sky.  
  
"That must be who is attack us! Where are the others?" wondered Serenity, fear rising in her chest. Suddenly, four more specks appeared, sending blasts of energy at the other two. There was an explosion of sound and light, and when it had cleared, the two specks were gone. "They must have gotten them!"  
  
She was wrong. Just moments later, two figures, of human shape, appeared not far from where Serenity stood. The only thing separating her from them was the crystal wall, but even then she couldn't see them clearly. They both turned and faced her, and Serenity watched in horror as glowing balls of energy began to grow in their hands.  
  
She turned to run, but was too late. The figures let loose blasts of energy at the crystal wall, shaking the entire castle. The crystal wall, fortunately, stood. Their powers were nothing like Serenity had seen before, but the Imperium Silver Crystal's power was obviously still stronger. The two figures neared but Serenity only got a glance of them, for suddenly, four mysterious figures appeared, sending blasts of energy at the two.  
  
Serenity watched as they suddenly disappeared, and the wall took the blast instead. Once again, the castle shook from the enormous blast, but held. Serenity swore she saw one figure, with wavy shoulder-length, flaming red hair mouth, "Sorry!" to her, but she wasn't sure. The four figures disappeared, and all Serenity could do was stand there in awe.  
  
"Of course they're stronger," she thought to herself. "They're from the future. The only thing is, just how far from the future did they come?" 


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Sailor Moon. CastellaStar owns the characters that are not owned by Naoko Takeuchi.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
"All right," grumbled a gruff voice. "Where'd they go now? Always disappearing on us!"  
  
"I know, I know," sighed another voice, much more gentle than the other. "When I get my hands on them, they'll be deader than dead!"  
  
"Ariya, think about what you just said. How can someone be more dead if they're already dead?" asked the gruff voice, snickering slightly.  
  
"You know what I meant," replied Ariya. One day, Cambertin, a sense of humor would be useful on you."  
  
"What? You think I don't have one already?" questioned Cambertin, smirking.  
  
"Not today."  
  
"Because of those demons!"  
  
"Who we are looking for."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
Two figures stepped out of the darkness, obviously the owners of the voices. They both wore the fuku of the sailor soldiers. One had shoulder- length, wavy, flaming red hair and bright green eyes, on a childish face. The other had long dark brown hair in three very long braids, with violet eyes on a face that seemed to have seen one too many fights. Each had wings: the one with dark hair had wings like a bird's, while the other had odd flimsy-looking wings, similar to those of dragons in fairy tales.  
  
"Those other two keep disappearing on us as well," sighed the red- haired girl, Ariya.  
  
"I realize that!" exclaimed Cambertin. "This is so confusing! What were those two doors that we went through?!"  
  
"I have no idea. We're on Earth though. I can tell you that much."  
  
"What?! On Earth?! What did Queen Lady Serenity do to her hair?! Die it blonde?!"  
  
"Sure looks that way."  
  
"And her eyes! Now she has blue eyes?!"  
  
"Maybe she got colored contacts!"  
  
"...And she shrank."  
  
"It could be an illusion cast by the wall."  
  
"You come up with an answer for everything don't you? I guess you could be right, but why would the Queen do that to herself?"  
  
"No clue."  
  
The two flew off in silence, scanning the Earth for any sign of the others that they were looking for. Far away, there was a loud explosion, and an enormous cloud of dust and debris floated into the sky.  
  
"That's them!" exclaimed Ariya, putting on an extra spurt of speed.  
  
"Need to corner them! I'll take one! You take the other!" exclaimed Cambertin.  
  
"Right!"  
  
The two soldiers zoomed off, disappearing into the cloud of dust. "Gotcha!" came the voice of Cambertin. "Winged Hope!!!!!!!!" There was a sound of rushing wind, quickly followed by screams. "Ha! Ha!" came the voice of Ariya.  
  
"Got another! Blazing Inferno!!!!!" The smoke cloud suddenly went up in flames, mingled with the screams of several different people. The dust cloud finally dispersed, revealing Ariya and Cambertin black with soot and burns. "Oops! Heh, heh, heh..." laughed Ariya nervously, "I guess there was some gasoline in the air or something."  
  
"Yeah, or something," snorted Cambertin unhappily.  
  
"Mars Snake Fire!!!!!!!" Ariya and Cambertin looked down to see a stream of flame rushing towards them. They stepped out of the way, avoiding the attack with ease.  
  
"Mars?" whispered Cambertin, giving Ariya a questioning look.  
  
"I dunno. I thought she died. Oh, well. Guess I was wrong," sighed Ariya, shrugging her shoulders.  
  
Below the two girls, four blackened figures hovered, panting for breath. Ariya and Cambertin looked at each other, nodded, and flew down to the four burned people.  
  
"AACK!" came the surprised yell of Sailor Venus, "Venus Wink Chain Sword!!!" There was a crack followed by a flash of light that came rushing towards Cambertin and Ariya.  
  
Quickly, and mostly out of instinct, Cambertin whispered, "Rainbow Prism Barrier!" A shield of rainbow glass formed around both of them, and the attack was absorbed. "Didn't Venus die 800 years ago?" questioned Cambertin.  
  
"That's what I thought, but who knows?" sighed Ariya, once again shrugging her shoulders. Sailor Venus and the other inner senshi were at a loss.  
  
"WHY DIDN'T MY ATTACK WORK?!!" exclaimed Minako. "WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?!!!!"  
  
"They're obviously much stronger than we are," noted Sailor Mercury. She pulled out her hand-held computer, and tapped her earring to reveal her VR goggles. "Let's see now," she mumbled, typing in several buttons. After a few moments, she typed in a few more buttons, a puzzled look crossing her face. Several long moments of typing and confused looks went by before Ami looked up. "I can't scan them!" she whispered frantically. "Nothing is coming up! Nothing works!"  
  
"Let me see that," stated Ariya, who had appeared behind Ami. Snatching the mini-computer out of her hand, she started punching buttons. The four inner senshi watched in shock, as Ariya turned the computer over several times, not sure what to say. "Wow!" the red-haired girl exclaimed. "This is a rare find these days! These haven't been manufactured for over 700 years!"  
  
"Really?!" exclaimed Cambertin, suddenly appearing beside Ariya. "I know that the princess of Mercury began that company! See the symbol? They stopped making it after her daughter's death."  
  
"Daughter's death?" repeated Ami. "Who are you people?! What are you doing here, and what do you want?!"  
  
"AND WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" yelled Makoto in a sudden outburst.  
  
"NO WAAAAYYY!!!!!" exclaimed Cambertin, leaping on top of Makoto and knocking her over. "Is it really you?! The Sailor Jupiter, Princess Makoto?! I'm your biggest fan!!!"  
  
Makoto stared at Cambertin in utter shock. "I don't know about Princess Makoto, but I am Sailor Jupiter."  
  
"WOWEE!!!! I went to school with your great-great-great-great- grandson! I've always wanted to meet you! But you're dead, so..."  
  
"DEAD?!" exclaimed Jupiter, her face a mask of stupor. Cambertin stood up, her hand shot up in the air.  
  
Her eyes shone as she continued, "The great Sailor Jupiter, soldier of protection! Guardian of the late Neo-Queen Serenity!"  
  
"The late Neo-Queen Serenity?" choked Ami. "You mean she died?!"  
  
"Oh, yes," agreed Ariya. "She gave up the crown to Lady Queen Serenity, and together, she and Endymion died peacefully! But that was over 500 years ago!"  
  
"500 years ago?" coughed Minako, trying not to laugh. "I think you both have some screws loose in your brains. She's alive and well today!"  
  
"Really?" questioned Cambertin, now looking at Minako excitedly. "Wow! Everyone at home told us she died! It's in history books and everything!"  
  
Rei, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up. "You aren't from here are you?" she asked.  
  
"Not exactly," replied Ariya, "We came from the two constellations, Draco and Pegasus." 


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Sailor Moon. CastellaStar owns the characters that Naoko Takeuchi does not.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
"Scouts come from the constellations?" questioned Sailor Mercury.  
  
"This is all new to us," explained Rei, "You're the first constellation senshi that we've heard of."  
  
"Wh..what?!" exclaimed Cambertin, leaning in extremely close to Rei. "But they're always visiting here! We come here all the time!"  
  
"I think you should come to the castle with us," stated Ami. "Neo- Queen Serenity will want to meet you."  
  
"But we have to go after those two demons!" protested Ariya.  
  
"There's more of you?"  
  
"Four more. Two of them are sailor senshi like us, but we're all trying to get rid of a couple of trouble-makers. If we don't soon, people will be in big trouble."  
  
"Come with us to the castle," stated Makoto. "The Queen needs to hear about all of this."  
  
"Well," sighed Ariya, "All right. Maybe you can help us get rid of the two monsters."  
  
The inner senshi took off with Sailor Draconia and Sailor Pegasus, leading them to the palace in Crystal Tokyo. Upon reaching the castle, they were brought into the throne room, where Serenity paced back and forth nervously. She looked up upon their entrance, and rushed over to them.  
  
"Oh, I'm so glad you're all right," she gasped, hugging Minako tightly. Letting go of her, she looked at her and stated, "I have some bad news.....who are they?"  
  
She had just noticed Ariya and Cambertin, who were staring at her in complete awe. "Uh...I...I'm Ariya," stuttered Sailor Draconia, still surprised by what she was seeing...or rather, who.  
  
"I'm Cambertin!" replied the other girl, with much more enthusiasm. "Wow! Who'd have thought I'd get to meet you!! This is such an honor!"  
  
Serenity looked at them, when recognition took over. "You're the two who were outside of the castle earlier!"  
  
"Oh, yes," replied Ariya.  
  
"Sorry if we hurt the castle. Those two are just so fast," apologized Cambertin.  
  
"That's all right," replied Serenity, smiling cheerfully. "No harm was done."  
  
"Queen," interrupted Minako, "What's the bad news?"  
  
Serenity's face once again returned to its' serious expression. "Six creatures, or people, from the future escaped through the doors of time, and are somewhere, attacking Earth."  
  
"From the future?!" exclaimed Rei. "That sure does explain some things!" Turning to Cambertin, she asked, "What year is it now?"  
  
"4135," replied Cambertin.  
  
"4135," whispered Serenity, shocked, "That's the 23rd century! This is the 21st!"  
  
"21st? Really? So that means those doors were the gates of time," noted Ariya. "This explains everything!"  
  
"We did time travel?!" yelled Cambertin. "Oh man! We're gonna be in so much trouble when we get home! It's forbidden!"  
  
"But we didn't mean to," countered Ariya. "Plus, we were chasing the Shadow Stars. That's a good enough excuse!"  
  
Serenity and the inner senshi watched as Ariya and Cambertin debated over what to do.  
  
"How about we discuss this over tea?" suggested Serenity.  
  
"Sounds good to me," agreed Cambertin, dropping the conversation immediately at the sound of food.  
  
"All right," laughed Serenity. "Come with me."  
  
Cambertin followed closely to Serenity, asking all sorts of questions about the food they served. Ariya, on the other hand, was observing the castle interior, asking Sailor Mercury about all sorts of different things.  
  
"Because I believe that over so many years, pieces of history may have been lost," finished Ariya. "I'm just curious about what they aren't teaching us in school."  
  
"That's very possible," agreed Ami, "but what aren't they teaching you?"  
  
"Oh, they'll give us the basics, but these days, all they really want us to learn about is the present time."  
  
"That's sad! There's so much you can gain from knowledge about the past!"  
  
"Yes, I know! Would you believe that they've banned most history books?"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"I don't understand why! I realize something bad happened...a war of some kind...but you won't learn from your mistakes unless you know what you did wrong!"  
  
"Does the queen know of this?"  
  
"No, sadly. As I said, most history books have been banished. While she's thinking we have libraries packed with valuable history books, most are actually being burned!"  
  
"Oh, that's absolutely awful! We will have to do something about that!"  
  
Rei, Makoto, and Minako were all just listening into the two completely different conversations.  
  
"Those two are so different!" stated Minako, "I wonder how they can possible get along!"  
  
"Well, I guess it's like magnets," started Makoto, but before she finished her explanation, she blushed brightly and instead said, "I mean, not like magnets...no, no, no! I didn't mean it quite like that..."  
  
Rei and Minako sighed and just listened as Makoto rambled on about what she really meant. 


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Sailor Moon. CastellaStar owns any characters that are not owned by Naoko Takeuchi.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Everyone took their seats when they entered the dining room. Cambertin and Ariya each sat on one side of Serenity. Once everyone was content, having eaten and drunk their fill, the peaceful atmosphere once again became serious.  
  
"Now," started Serenity, "tell us your story from the very beginning. Every detail is important!"  
  
"Well," explained Cambertin, her face completely serious, "I was born on April 1, 4136 at precisely...OUCH!!!"  
  
Ariya whapped Cambertin on the side of her head. "Not that 'very beginning'."  
  
"Well sorry," grumbled Cambertin, sulking slightly. "She did say the very beginning though."  
  
Serenity started to giggle at these antics, and soon it turned into outright laughter, for she had seen no one, absolutely no one, quite like these two. Sweat drops formed on the inner senshi's heads as they watched Ariya lecturing Cambertin, and Serenity going into hysterics.  
  
Once everything was back in order, Ariya took over the story telling. "Now this is the beginning of our story," started Ariya, looking down at the still-sulking Cambertin, who was glaring back. Meanwhile, Serenity once again had to stifle her laughter. "As we said earlier, we're from the year 4153. I'm the constellation scout of Draco, and..."  
  
"I'm the constellation scout of Pegasus," interrupted Cambertin.  
  
"Cammy," mumbled Ariya, "It's not nice to interrupt."  
  
"So what."  
  
"Anyways. There's been some major attacks at home lately. Some of the planets are merely covered in ruins now...including our home planets."  
  
"But you said that you lived on a constellation!" exclaimed Minako.  
  
"Minako," whispered Rei, "a constellation is made up of several stars or planets."  
  
"Oh," laughed Minako, "Oh, yeah!! I knew that! Ha! Ha! Ha! Silly me!"  
  
Cambertin stared at Minako for several moments before whispering to Ariya, "I thought the books said that the Queen of Venus was smart and calm."  
  
"She was," whispered Ariya, "but they also said that she took the longest of the inner senshi to mature."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Well, as I was saying," continued Ariya. "Our home planets were destroyed. For our homes, the people were infected with a horrible disease. Me and Cambertin got off lucky, and barely missed it. The reason for that was that we were sent to chase after the Shadow Stars and eliminate them. Those two are the ones who caused all of this mess! We've been chasing them for almost a year, and two more sailor soldiers joined us in the chase. The Shadow Stars have led us to her, and this is where we stand now."  
  
"Or sit," snickered Cambertin.  
  
"That's horrible!" exclaimed Serenity. "We will help you in any way we can!"  
  
"That's very kind of you, but I'm afraid that we cannot endanger you or the sailor scouts' lives."  
  
"But you are endangering your own!"  
  
"Yes, well.."  
  
"I KNOW!!!!" exclaimed Cambertin, standing up suddenly, "We could heighten your transformations and attacks!"  
  
"Heighten our..."  
  
"No, no, no," countered Ariya. "We can't do that!"  
  
"But in the history books, they say that two sailor soldiers from the future went to the past and heightened everyone's power levels."  
  
"None of the history books say that!"  
  
"This one does!" Cambertin pulled a history book out of nowhere, and Ariya gasped at the sight of it.  
  
"Cambertin! That's one of the forbidden.."  
  
"Yup! I've got a whole stash of forbidden books back at home!"  
  
"Still, we can't do that!"  
  
"Sure we can! We're from the future, we came to the past, and now we're going to heighten their levels!"  
  
"But they have to grow through several levels to get to where we are!"  
  
"Then we'll just do it one at a time, or all at once!"  
  
Serenity and the inner senshi watched Cambertin and Ariya back and forth as they discussed what they should or shouldn't do.  
  
"Then heighten our levels," interrupted Serenity. "It is my duty, as well as these sailor senshi's, to protect this planet as well as their own."  
  
"See, I told you!" teased Cambertin, sticking her tongue out at Ariya.  
  
"Well," sighed Ariya, "we're going to need a big room with a lot of junk that you don't want anymore inside. We'll also need to put a barrier around the room so it doesn't get damaged."  
  
"You mean a training room?" asked Makoto.  
  
"Basically."  
  
"With a lot of junk in it?"  
  
"Yeah. You're going to need some target practice before you try fighting me and Cambertin."  
  
"Fighting you and Cambertin?! We couldn't possibly do that!"  
  
"Don't worry! There's no way on earth you can hurt us. We'll make sure of that," snickered Cambertin.  
  
Serenity and all of the sailor senshi, including Ariya, stared at Cambertin, as sweat drops formed on their heads.  
  
"This way," ordered Serenity, standing up and heading down a hallway.  
  
All of the soldiers followed her around the castle. It took quite awhile, but finally they were taken into a large room with torn up cushions and junk everywhere.  
  
"It's perfect!" exclaimed Cambertin happily.  
  
"All right, Cambertin," stated Ariya, "now about that shield?"  
  
"Right!"  
  
Suddenly, two feathered wings sprouted from Cambertin's back, which she had hidden earlier. Ariya's wings also flourished from her back. Serenity and the inner senshi stared at them in surprise. "Cool wings!" exclaimed Minako. "Let's get going!" ordered Ariya. Cambertin straightened her arms out so that they were pointing out away from the sides of her body. Her middle and pointer finger were pointed out like a closed peace sign on both her hands. She raised her arms above her head and crossed her wrists. As she did this, two streaks of light, one purple, the other silver, made a trail that followed her fingers to where they were now. Then, like ribbons, they began to cross over each other as they moved downward, turning into ribbons with the colors of rainbows. "Rainbow..!" yelled out Cambertin, moving her arms downward and then spinning around, "Prism BARRIER!!!!" With these last words, she crossed her arms over her chest, her fingers still pointing, and then made a circle motion around herself with her hands open and stretched out. All of the ribbon-like light had wrapped itself loosely around Cambertin, while moving. The jewel on her tiara suddenly lit up, changing colors over and over, and the rainbow-colored ribbons of light shot out all around the room. A crystal-like film began to cover the walls of the room and then hardened into a solid prism barrier.  
  
"Wow!" exclaimed Minako, the only inner senshi whose mouth hadn't dropped to the floor, "That's soooo cool!! Will I get to do something like that?"  
  
"Maybe," laughed Cambertin, "It just depends!"  
  
"All right," interrupted Serenity, "Now just how does this work?"  
  
"Queen," apologized Ariya. "I'm afraid you'll have to be excluded. You're going to need special training, being the fact that you lost most of your powers when you were crowned. I, personally, will train you, while Cambertin trains Ami and the others."  
  
"That's fine," replied Serenity, as she started to leave the room, "Good luck to you, my friends! Work hard so that we may defeat the enemy!"  
  
"No problem!" exclaimed Makoto.  
  
"You can count on us!" exclaimed Rei.  
  
"We'll do our best!" agreed Ami.  
  
"Yeah!" agreed Minako, "before you know it, we'll be brand new, all- powerful sailor senshi!"  
  
Serenity laughed and waved goodbye before leaving with Ariya for her own training. Cambertin shut the door behind them, and then, turning to the inner senshi, she grinned. "All right now! It's training time!"  
  
"So what do we do?" asked Makoto, placing herself in a fighting stance.  
  
"I want each of you to attack me, in turn, with your most powerful attack!"  
  
"WHAT?!! Attack you?! We can't do that!"  
  
"Trust me. Just trust me! I won't get hut, I swear. Princess Makoto.."  
  
"Please, just all us by our first names," sighed Minako.  
  
"All right then. Makoto, you attack me first, since you're the strongest."  
  
Makoto's face was one of a very wary person.  
  
"Come on! Just do it!"  
  
"Well if you say so." Makoto began to lift her hands up as she yelled, "Jupiter!......Oak EVOLUTION!!!!!" As Makoto spun around, the leaf-shaped blasts of energy shot towards Cambertin. The inner senshi watched in horror as they exploded in Cambertin's face. When the smoke cleared, Cambertin was gone much to the senshi's surprise. Ami gasped and whirled around at the sound of Cambertin's voice.  
  
"Not bad you know...but, first off, it was way too slow. It was like a slow- motion flick for me. And the strength of that probably wouldn't have scratched me if I had chosen to stay there. That means the Shadow Stars would beat you up to death in milliseconds."  
  
All of the inner senshi face-faulted at these words. Makoto was turning red in the face with frustration.  
  
"Now, now, now!" comforted Cambertin. "Don't forget, me, Ariya, and the Shadow Stars were born way in the future!" Cambertin held out her hands, and a glowing sphere began to take shape. When the light disappeared, four tiny metal pieces were in her hands. "Now," ordered Cambertin, "I need for each of you to attach these somewhere on your henshin stick." She handed one to each of the sailor senshi. They each placed it against their henshin sticks, and it immediately stuck. "Now," continued Cambertin, "Yell out, for example, 'Mercury Starlight Power'."  
  
The inner senshi held up their sticks as they yelled out heir new transformation call.  
  
"Mercury Starlight Power...MAKEUP!!!"  
  
"Mars Starlight Power...MAKEUP!!!"  
  
"Jupiter Starlight Power.MAKEUP!!!"  
  
"Venus Starlight Power...MAKEUP!!!"  
  
When they had finished transforming, nothing seemed different, until Minako realized... "Hey! You're glowing, Ami!"  
  
Each of the inner senshi were glowing with their new powers.  
  
"All right!" exclaimed Cambertin, clapping her hands together. "The words should come to you. Each of you, in turn, attack an object in the room."  
  
Rei stepped forward and concentrated on a couch. Then, her eyes widened as she began to make motions with her hands. Finally, she yelled out, "Mars...Ruby FIRESTORM!!!" A jewel appeared over the couch, began to glow, and then disappeared in a whirlwind of pure fire. When it disappeared, there weren't even any ashes left.  
  
"Whoa..," muttered Rei, "I did that?"  
  
"Yup! OK! Who's next?" asked Cambertin.  
  
"Venus...Topaz HEARTACHE!!!"  
  
"Mercury...Sapphire MAELSTROM!!!"  
  
"Jupiter...Emerald TYPHOON!!!"  
  
It didn't seem long before it was dinner-time. Cambertin stopped the training so they could all eat. "You are all doing magnificent!" exclaimed Cambertin, as the inner senshi walk by her wearily. "I've never seen someone do so many level-ups in so little time!"  
  
"Probably 'cause nobody has," muttered Minako.  
  
When they reached the dining room, Neo-Queen Serenity was already sitting there, eating to her heart's content. Upon their entrance, she looked up, smiling happily, and waved. They all took their seats and started piling the food onto their plates, eating hungrily.  
  
"Hey!" exclaimed Cambertin suddenly, "Where's Ariya?"  
  
"Cleaning up," replied Serenity, "It seems that it didn't take me long to catch up."  
  
"I see. Well, that's a good thing! You're strong enough to help us defeat the enemy!"  
  
"What about my soldiers?"  
  
"It'll take another day to get them to our level probably, but they're making good progress!"  
  
"Another day?!" exclaimed Minako. "You mean we're not even close to getting there?! After all of those power-ups?!"  
  
"You only have to go through a few more levels, but these once take a little while before actually taking effect."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Ariya walked into the room just then, smiling proudly. "Did the Queen tell you, Cambertin?" she asked.  
  
"Yup! Good work! Maybe you can help me finish these guys up tomorrow."  
  
"We don't have that much time."  
  
"I guess we could start up again after dinner! They'd be finished before breakfast!"  
  
"Good idea!" agreed Serenity, clapping her hands together. "Let's go ahead and start now. It looks like you've finished eating!"  
  
The inner senshi looked at each other and sighed exasperatedly, knowing they had a long night ahead of them." 


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Sailor Moon. CastellaStar owns any character that Naoko Takeuchi does not.  
  
Chapter 6  
  
"Sister-mine," hissed a voice, "you do realize those were the gates of time we passed through a while back."  
  
"The gates of time, eh?" snickered another voice, "It won't matter for us. These bodies are disposable, and we won't be affected in the future, our home."  
  
"How do you know that this is the past?"  
  
"Did you not see the ruler behind the walls of that dreadful crystal palace?"  
  
"Yes, I did. I thought it might've been my imagination, but it looked like the late Neo-Queen Serenity."  
  
"That is because it was her. I could feel the power radiating from her crystal. There was no way that it could be the Pink Moon Crystal."  
  
"You're right. It was different. And I felt that familiar heat of energy...the same as the Silver Imperium Crystal's."  
  
"That is what nearly led us to our destruction so long ago. It was fate that we escaped those bodies in time!"  
  
"Now we have these new bodies! So many we have disposed of! Yet these...these ones are different!"  
  
"Tell me our goal, sister-mine! I must hear those sweet words once more! They are crystal bells to my ears!"  
  
"We take the crystal from the body and then watch as it crumbles to ashes in the palm of our hands With the crystal destroyed, then there will be no more Sailor Moon to deal with!"  
  
"Yes! Yes! No Neo-Queen Serenity! No Lady Queen Serenity! For without a mother, there cannot be a child!"  
  
"Then, we take over this planet!"  
  
"This solar system!"  
  
"This galaxy!"  
  
"This entire universe!"  
  
"And then once we have it all, we can return to our future. Our future and no one else's! We will rule and have all of the worthless humans do as we will them to do!"  
  
"Then what happens to the past? For we cannot be in two different times at once!"  
  
"Upon destroying the Silver Imperium Crystal, Neo-Queen Serenity dies, but all sailor soldiers have crystals! We take them, and replace them with our own shadow crystals! Just like at home!"  
  
"We will control them from the future, and everything will be ours! No Sailor Moon or Silver Imperium Crystal to stand in our way!"  
  
The two holders of the voices, hidden in the shadows, stepped out into the light. They had identical outfits and hair styles with slight color differences: Their outfits consisted of a swimsuit-style top and a short skirt with splits in the sides. Their hair was done up in curling pigtails that brushed the sides of their faces. Besides their outfits, they looked almost exactly alike. Their only differences were their eyes and the color of the streaks in their hair. One was blue, the other was green. Looking below them, they laughed at the sight that met their eyes. What had once been a small city was now ruins. Slowly, they descended to the ground, landing gently on their feet. Moans of pain, and crying filled the air.  
  
"It's music to my ears, Alsura," snickered the girl with green streaks in her hair.  
  
"Yes, all of the wailing is so beautiful!" agreed Alsura. "But Vona, I don't feel the power of the sailor crystals here."  
  
"You're right," sighed Vona, "It must be the power of the star seeds we felt. The ones Galaxia tried to collect for us so long ago. The Silver Imperium Crystal has affected them, and that is what we felt; the reflection of the crystal's power!"  
  
"Then they are not here. This will be harder than we thought. All of the people's star seeds will reflect the energy of the crystal. How will we find what we are looking for?"  
  
"We'll look in every place, one by one, until we've found the people's source of power!"  
  
Suddenly, Vona looked up at Alsura. "I feel something," she whispered, an evil smile spreading across her features, "but this has more power! It must be a sailor crystal!"  
  
"Yes!" exclaimed Alsura. "I feel it too! Where is it coming from?"  
  
Just as they began to look around them, they were taken by surprise.  
  
"Pluto.Chronus TYPHOON!!!" The attack hit the two with an enormous blast. Smoke was everywhere, and out of it stepped Sailor Pluto. She held her key staff in her hands, waiting for the smoke to clear. When it did, Alsura and Vona were nowhere in sight. The voice of Alsura sounded from behind Sailor Pluto.  
  
"You will be the first of our collection!"  
  
"Yeah! And the first to be infected in the past!" exclaimed Vona.  
  
Sailor Pluto whirled around, only to find herself facing an empty blackness. "What the..," she started to mutter, raising up her arms for defense against whatever would happen next.  
  
"Soldier of the underworld," echoed a soft voice, "You protect the sailor crystal of time, given to you by Chronus himself."  
  
Sailor Pluto looked around her, trying to find the source of the voice, but instead found that the darkness had surrounded and trapped her.  
  
"Time Stop!!!" yelled out the voice.  
  
Sailor Pluto gasped at the phrase. "Only I can say that..." She could say no more, for she was frozen, along with time in the darkness that surrounded her. Vona appeared in the darkness and placed her hand flat on Setsuna's chest.  
  
"Crystal Retraction!!!" she yelled out. Pulling her hand away, strings of light ran from Sailor Pluto's chest to Vona's fingers. With the flick of her hand, she yanked the strings, and a dark emerald-like stone emerged from Sailor Pluto. Vona grabbed the crystal in one hand, and with the other hand, she placed it back on Sailor Pluto's chest. "Dark Crystal Infection!!!" Smoke, emitted from Vona's hand, began to wrap itself around Sailor Pluto. Pulling her hand away, Vona watched with a satisfied smile as the smoke encased Sailor Pluto.  
  
Snapping her fingers, Vona smiled, watching the dark surroundings disappear. Alsura was waiting for her. When Vona showed her the crystal, Alsura smiled an pulled out a crystal-like box. Taking the crystal from Vona, she placed it in the box, sealed it off, and held it for a moment, just looking at it.  
  
Finally, Alsura tossed it in the air, yelling out, "To home!!!" as she clapped her hands three times. The box faded away, along with Sailor Pluto's crystal. Alsura, still smiling, turned to Vona and asked, "Did the infection work?"  
  
"Yup!" replied Vona, snapping her fingers again.  
  
Sailor Pluto materialized in front of them, her eyes closed. Nothing seemed to be wrong with her.at all! Then, she opened her eyes. If you took a quick glance at them, you wouldn't be able to see anything different about them. But if you were a close observer, you could see that Pluto's eye color had darkened from red to almost black.  
  
"So it worked," snickered Alsura, "It doesn't matter what order we do it in after all."  
  
"Sailor Pluto," addressed Vona, "Tell us who you are and what your objective is."  
  
"I am Sailor Pluto, loyal to the great Vona and Alsura," replied Pluto, a slight tone change in her voice, "I spy over the sailor soldiers, and Neo- Queen Serenity, preparing them so that their crystals may be taken. Then, Vona and Alsura shall rule for eternity!"  
  
Alsura and Vona laughed hideously at Sailor Pluto's reply. "Sailor Pluto! I order you to return to the palace now! Bring us back information bit by bit over time. This is merely a game of chess! You are an important pawn! We need you to help us decide what our next move is! Each move must knock out one of the player's pieces. Do well, and you'll be rewarded! Fail, and I will crush your other crystal in the palm of my hand! You will die then, and this time, you won't come back!" ordered Vona.  
  
"Yes! As you wish," replied Sailor Pluto. She stepped back, took a bow, and then looked up, her eyes flashing, as she faded away.  
  
"She's perfect," cackled Alsura. "Absolutely perfect!" 


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own Sailor Moon. CastellaStar owns any characters that are not owned by Naoko Takeuchi.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
It was almost 8:00 in the morning, and nothing was moving in the entire castle.or so it seemed. Throughout the entire night, the inner scouts had been training to raise their levels. A door opened slowly, creaking slightly. Cambertin's head peeked out from behind it. She looked this way and that, and then stepped out into the hallway, smiling. Rei, Ami, Minako, and Makoto all walked out of the room, soon followed by Serenity and Ariya. None of them were wearing their sailor suits; instead, just some casual clothes.  
  
They walked down the hallway, none of them speaking a word. Serenity led them into the dining room for an early breakfast, closing the door quietly behind her. All of them let out a sigh of relief. Nobody in the castle had woken up. If they had, an extremely odd sight would've met their sight. Rei wrapped several strands of hair around her finger, staring at the red and purple streaks that had formed in it.  
  
"This is so cool!" exclaimed Minako, stars in her eyes, "We get color streaks in our hair, our eye color is brighter, and now we get super cool fighting outfits!"  
  
"Minako," sighed Makoto, "Don't you see that we're preparing for the fight of our lives soon?"  
  
"Of course! I'm just trying to enjoy myself while I can!"  
  
Everyone, even Makoto, laughed at Minako's reply. She was right, because they should enjoy themselves while they could. There was nothing more they could do to prepare for the battle ahead of them. All they could do now, was wait. They were all eating silently, but Minako was staring curiously at Cambertin. At first, being so interested in the food, Cambertin didn't notice. An uneasy feeling sent shivers up and down her back, and Cambertin looked up, straight at Minako.  
  
"What?" she asked, "Is there food all over my face or something?"  
  
"No," replied Minako, "It's nothing like that. I was just wondering.why aren't there any colored streaks in your hair? Everyone else has them, but you don't!"  
  
Cambertin looked over at Ariya, who wasn't looking at Cambertin. In fact, it was as though she was refusing to look her in the eye. Finally, Cambertin looked back at Minako, smiling,  
  
"It's nothing important. I guess not all scouts get that in their hair."  
  
"Oh, okay. I was just curious."  
  
They all went back to eating their breakfast. Not wanting to catch Cambertin's attention, Rei observed her with occasional glances. Finally, looking over at Serenity, Rei watched her until she caught her eye. Serenity knew that Rei had something to say, and she obviously didn't want to say it here or she already would have. She nodded slightly, and then got up from the table.  
  
"Excuse me," she explained, "Rei, there's something I remembered just now. I found something last week that you might be interested in. Come with me now before I forget again."  
  
Rei got up from the table and followed Serenity out of the room. No one seemed to notice that something was up, except for Cambertin, but she continued eating as though nothing was wrong. Rei followed Serenity down several corridors into a room that was completely unoccupied. Closing the door behind her, Serenity took a seat on a couch.  
  
"You have something on your mind, Rei?" asked Serenity, watching her intently.  
  
"Yes," replied Rei, "I have a feeling that Cambertin and Ariya are hiding something from us, but more so Cambertin."  
  
"Is this about Minako's observance?"  
  
"Not really, but did you notice the way Ariya ignored her during that time?"  
  
"Yes, but I wouldn't think much about it."  
  
"It's not just that, though. I feel the energy that is emitted from us all. I feel it from Ariya and Cambertin too. Ariya's feels slightly different, but I'm guessing that it's because she's from a different time. I felt it from Cambertin too."  
  
"Yes, go on."  
  
"Yet, there's something more to Cambertin's. You wouldn't feel it if you just brushed her over real quick. Even if you were observing her closely, you probably wouldn't notice. I felt something within her, but it is hidden by all of the other energy. I can't put my finger on what it is, but all I know is that it isn't radiating all of the light energy. In fact, it feels dark; not negative, mind you, just dark. It's probably nothing bad, but there's no way it's good either. She's like a ticking bomb, Usagi-chan, but I can't tell you when or what will happen when she does go off. I have the feeling that it's happened before, so she and Ariya must know about it."  
  
Serenity had listened carefully to every word. When Rei finished, she nodded, now completely serious. "All right then. I want you to watch her carefully, Rei. I'll see what I an do, but I don't think I'll be able to do much. Tell Minako what you've told me. Maybe she'll be able to slip some information out of her."  
  
Rei and Serenity left the room and joined the others where they were waiting outside of the dining room. When Minako saw them, she waved them over.  
  
"We're planning on how we're going to do this," she explained. All seven huddled together as Minako explained an idea she had for a plan. That's when Sailor Pluto walked into the area. Serenity looked up upon her entrance.  
  
"Setsuna!" she exclaimed. "Thank goodness you're all right! Where are the others?"  
  
Setsuna smiled and replied, "They're all right. We've searched everywhere for the enemy. I haven't seen them anywhere!"  
  
"Get away from her!" ordered Cambertin, jumping in between Serenity and Setsuna. Both were very taken aback. They stared at Cambertin in surprise, not understanding her actions.  
  
"Cambertin! Stop being rude!" yelled Ariya. "Can't you see? It's Sailor Pluto!"  
  
"Can't you see?" mocked Cambertin, "She's been infected!" 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
Sailor Uranus and Neptune weren't having much luck in finding the enemies that Serenity had warned them of. They felt as though they'd searched the four corners of the world, but in vain.  
  
"There's no sign of anyone," sighed Michiru. "The seas are churning with an aggression that I've never felt before!"  
  
"Yes," agreed Haruka, "The winds are strong, and I sense the evil that has polluted the Earth. My senses are confused though. I can't pinpoint the source. The evil ones seem to be everywhere at once."  
  
"It is a problem. We don't even know what the enemy looks like."  
  
Suddenly, something caught Michiru's eye. A shadow flitted across the ground, radiating with negative energy.  
  
"There!" she gasped, pointing at the shadow. Haruka and Michiru hurried to catch up with the shadow, ready to put an end to it. The shadow continued running, and the two chased it for a long time.  
  
"We can't tire ourselves like this," growled Haruka, "It'll just keep running. We need a plan."  
  
"Should we separate?" asked Michiru.  
  
"That's the best possible choice. I'll take the left; you take the right. Then, once your running to the side of it, we'll do a pincer movement!"  
  
"Right! Let's go!" Michiru and Haruka both dashed off towards their chosen sides. Haruka found it easier to run this way, and she gradually began to catch up with the shadow. She noticed that the shadow had begun to slow down and then finally stopped.  
  
Smirking, Haruka ran towards the shadow, planning to come in front of it. "Space Turbulence!!!" she yelled out. Her latest attack hit the shadow, and Haruka watched as it exploded. "That was too easy," mumbled Haruka quizzically.  
  
"Ah, but you must never let your guard down," came a familiar voice, as a hand grasped Haruka's shoulder. Whirling around, Haruka gave a sigh of relief.  
  
"Whew! Don't scare me like that, Michiru!"  
  
"No worries, eh?" laughed Michiru.  
  
The laugh sent a chill up and down Haruka's spine. Something wasn't right, but she couldn't lay a finger on it.  
  
"Er...are you okay, Michiru?"  
  
"Yes," replied Michiru, "And soon you will be too."  
  
"Huh?!"  
  
Haruka stepped back, away from her best friend. Sweat trickled down her surprised face.  
  
"Isn't it beautiful?" sighed Michiru, glancing around. "This darkness? Light can compare nothing to its' beauty...or its' power!"  
  
Haruka looked around nervously, now seeing the darkness that had surrounded them.  
  
"Wh-what's going on?!" she exclaimed, backing away. "Michiru! Where am I?! What did you do?!"  
  
"She did nothing," hissed a voice as two arms wrapped themselves tightly around Haruka. "This is the beautiful artwork of my sister and I!"  
  
Haruka struggled against the oppressor, but she was held fast. The more she tried to get away, the more energy she could feel being drained from her body. "Let go of me!!"  
  
"Do not struggle," hissed the voice. "You are no match for me!!!"  
  
Haruka felt her eyesight blanking out on her. Soon, she was unable to do anymore, and she fell into the hands of Alsura and Vona. 


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own Sailormoon. CastellaStar owns any characters that Naoko Takeuchi does not.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
"This is soooo boring," came the voice of Sailor Ceres. "There's nobody here!"  
  
"Can it, Pinky!" growled Sailor Vesta, but she instantly regretted it when Chibi-usa turned and glared at her.  
  
"It's not like you have to be here," retorted their leader sarcastically, "I mean, you can leave and go do whatever while the universe blows up around you!"  
  
"Really?! Cool!" exclaimed Sailor Pallas.  
  
With that, the four Amazoness Scouts began to leave. Chibi-usa slapped her forehead angrily, wondering how she ended up with such a group of dunderheads. Hotaru smiled sympathetically at her friend.  
  
"Don't worry, Chibi-usa," laughed her friend, "I'll get them back."  
  
"Thank you," sighed Chibi-usa.  
  
Hotaru was gone in a flash, leaving Chibi-usa to wait for her return. The Amazoness soldiers were dashing through the skies, laughing, when a sudden movement stopped them in their tracks. They all looked up to see their other leader, Sailor Saturn, hovering in front of them. She glared at them all, holding her glaive menacingly close to them.  
  
"Oh, h-hello...Hotaru," stuttered PallaPalla, watching the glaive nervously.  
  
"Why, HELLO girls," replied the soldier of destruction, a crazy smile spreading across her features, but never reaching her eyes. "I believe that your princess is awaiting your presence...all of you."  
  
"R-right," laughed JunJun. "J-just the way we were heading. Uh, right?"  
  
"Right!' chorused the other three.  
  
Her face breaking into a dangerously sweet smile, Hotaru replied, "Wonderful. I was heading that way myself, so I believe I will escort you to her."  
  
In a short amount of time, they were all back with their leader. The soldiers grinned apologetically, not sure of what to expect. It seemed that Chibi-usa was about to lecture them, but she was interrupted.  
  
"Princess!" yelled a voice. "Princess!"  
  
Chibi-usa looked back to see sailors Neptune and Uranus coming towards them. Waving cheerfully, she ran over to her fellow scouts, Saturn and the Amazons close behind.  
  
"Hiya, guys! Any luck?" asked Haruka.  
  
"No," sighed Chibi-usa, glaring at the Amazons. "No luck what-so- ever. How about you?"  
  
"Actually we found something that might interest you," replied Michiru. Holding out her hand, a black bead appeared. "Take a look!"  
  
"Wow!" exclaimed Chibi-usa, taking the bead in her hands. The other scouts gathered around her, staring at the bead. "What is it?"  
  
"It looks like something that comes off of a kid's plastic necklace," observed CereCere bluntly.  
  
All of the other scouts sweat dropped. Chibi-usa looked back at her air- headed soldier exasperatedly and then back at the bead.  
  
"Well, it DOES," pushed Sailor Ceres.  
  
"She's right," sighed Chibi-usa. "it looks like an ordinary bead. How do you know it's a clue?"  
  
"Watch!" ordered Michiru, putting a hand over the bead. When she pulled her hand back, the bead was glowing. It gave off a vibrant, but small amount of light in the colors of blue and green.  
  
"Whoa!" exclaimed VesVes.  
  
"How'd you do that?!" exclaimed Sailor Juno.  
  
"We have learned that the people we are chasing are not our enemies," explained Michiru, her voice taking on a strange tone. "They are our friends, and they want us to help them fight the true enemies!"  
  
"W-what?!" exclaimed Hotaru.  
  
"Look at the power they've bestowed upon us!"  
  
Michiru's and Haruka's eyes flashed, and they began to transform before the Sailor senshi's eyes. Michiru's hair grew down to past her back, wrapped into a ponytail. Her sailor fuku grew into a long dress that reached her ankles. It glittered in the light, a dark sea green, and a slit reached up one of her legs. The top had one shoulder strap and fitted her tightly. Her gloves had shortened so that they fit around her wrists, and were now solid black. Her high heels were now black, and her earring were black dangling stars. The final accents consisted of dark lipstick, a black leather choker with some decorative jewels, and beads that were lined across her forehead, a black star dangling from its' center.  
  
Haruka's hair now fell around her shoulders. She wore a golden colored outfit that fitted her entire body, but flared from her knees down. The top part was strapless except for a cord that went around her neck. Her gloves and high-heeled shoes were the same as Michiru's. She also wore the same lipstick, choker, earrings, and the beads across her forehead. Chibi-usa, Hotaru, and the Amazons gaped at Haruka and Michiru, their mouths ready to hit the ground.  
  
"Wow," sighed PallaPalla.  
  
"We want to share this power with you," stated Haruka, an evil grin crossing her face. Holding out her hand, a black energy emitted from it, surrounding the sailor soldiers.  
  
"Prepare to bow before your new leaders!" laughed Michiru.  
  
Chibi-usa looked around herself frantically, not sure of what to do. The darkness was quickly closing around her and her fellow soldiers. All of a sudden, a familiar ring sounded through the air. Chibi-usa looked up where the darkness had not yet reached. Helios, in the form of Pegasus, was quickly flying towards her.  
  
"Chibi-usa!!" he yelled, "Grab hold!"  
  
As he swooped down, Chibi-usa wrapped her arms around his neck and swung onto his back. Without waiting any longer, Helios flew away from the enclosing darkness and into safety. Chibi-usa looked back to see the darkness still closing around her friends, who hadn't escaped yet.  
  
"Helios!" cried Chibi-usa. "Turn around! We have to go back! They're still in trouble!"  
  
"No," replied Helios. "I'm sorry, my Lady. If we went back we'd only be going back into those demons' trap!"  
  
"No, Helios!" cried Chibi-usa, becoming angry, "We can beat the enemy! We always beat the enemy! I have to save the Amazons! And Hotaru!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Chibi-usa," apologized Helios sadly, as he continued to fly farther away.  
  
"No! Hotaru!" yelled Chibi-usa, tears welling up in her eyes as she watched the darkness closing around her friends. The darkness swallowed her friends up, and Chibi-usa burst into tears. "Hotaru! Hotaru! Hota-chan! Nooooo!!! Please, Helios, please turn around! I have to save them!"  
  
Helios shook his head, trying to ignore the sad cries of Chibi-usa. He wanted to turn around too... "If only I had been sooner," he thought sadly, flying away to the sanctuary of Elysion. 


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own Sailor Moon. CastellaStar owns any characters that Naoko Takeuchi does not.  
  
Chapter 10  
  
"Infected?" laughed Sailor Pluto innocently. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Yes, Cambertin," agreed Serenity, "Explain yourself."  
  
"It's nothing," laughed Ariya, patting Cambertin on the shoulder roughly. "Like we said before, the two we are chasing spread their disease, or infection, over planets. BUT, the people infected tend to look different. A lot different. With each infection, there is a different physical change. Some are gruesome, while others are barely identifiable."  
  
"But.." stuttered Cambertin, her forehead wrinkling in frustration. "But.."  
  
Serenity looked Setsuna up and down, and side to side. "I don't see anything different. Am I missing something, Camber.."  
  
"It's gone!!!" exclaimed Cambertin suddenly, her body stiffening. She stepped closer, scrutinizing Setsuna's face carefully. "Where'd it go?!"  
  
"What' wrong?" questioned Serenity, concern on her face.  
  
"Is there something on my face?" asked Setsuna, smiling.  
  
"There was," mumbled Cambertin, barely audible.  
  
"Maybe you had a bit too much sugar, Cammy," suggested Ariya sympathetically. "You know how that is sometimes."  
  
"Maybe," sighed Cambertin, giving in.  
  
"So what's to be done?" asked Serenity, changing the subject.  
  
"We rest," replied Cambertin, looking up at Serenity.  
  
"Rest? But the enemy.." started Serenity.  
  
"No, she's right," agreed Ariya. "You will need to rest as much as possible while you can. In the days ahead you won't be getting much rest, if any at all."  
  
"I'm all for it," grumbled Minako, "especially after you kept us awake all night."  
  
The other inner senshi nodded in agreement. Even Serenity could not deny the truth in Minako's statement.  
  
"I must admit that I am tired myself," she sighed.  
  
"Then off you go!" exclaimed Cambertin, pushing them on their way.  
  
"But what about you?" asked Serenity, as she stumbled along.  
  
"Don't worry!" laughed Ariya. "There's PLENTY of room in this castle. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to find a place to sleep!"  
  
Cambertin and Ariya waved cheerfully as Serenity, Pluto, and the inner senshi walked away wearily. When they were gone, Ariya rounded on Cambertin.  
  
"What did you think you were DOING?!" she hissed.  
  
"I.I don't know," sighed Cambertin, leaning back against a wall. "I really thought she had been infected. In fact, I still do."  
  
Ariya sat down in a nearby chair. "I didn't see anything wrong with her."  
  
"Her eyes," explained Cambertin, "There was something there, but I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was."  
  
"Her eyes? What was wrong with them?"  
  
"They were really dark.almost black.but then, when I looked again.they were back to the red color I've seen in the portraits of Setsuna-hime."  
  
"Perhaps it was the lighting in the room. That makes things change."  
  
"Perhaps..but I really don't think so."  
  
Ariya looked down at her hands for a moment and then back up at Cambertin. "The signs of infection have never disappeared before."  
  
"That could be two things: one, the Shadow Stars have become more powerful, or two; it may be because we are in the past. Being in a different time affects things."  
  
Ariya stared hard at Cambertin, saying, "I'm not sure if she is infected or not. But if this is what the Shadow Stars are doing..we should keep a close eye on her. A very close one."  
  
"The final battle is nearing at last," sighed Cambertin, smiling a bit.  
  
"Yes, and it's about time."  
  
Ariya stood up and smiled. "I think it's time that we get our rest too, Cammy." Ariya began to walk away, but Cambertin stopped her.  
  
"I think they suspect, Ariya," she stated.  
  
Ariya stopped, but did not turn to face Cambertin. Her fists were clenched tightly.  
  
"We should tell them, Ariya. About me. If we don't, it will be an unpleasant surprise."  
  
"Yes, I know," snapped Ariya angrily. Then, softening, she repeated, "Yes, I know. I was just hoping.I've always wished.that it wouldn't be necessary. That it would just somehow go away. But if wishes were fishes, they'd fill up the seas."  
  
Cambertin smiled slightly at hearing the familiar quote. Ariya always seemed to know so many of them. "When will we tell them?"  
  
"Tomorrow. Before the battle begins."  
  
Setsuna smiled from where she sat, hidden behind a door in a close by room, watching Ariya and Cambertin with darkened eyes. 


	11. Chapter 11

I do not own Sailor Moon. CastellaStar owns any characters that Naoko Takeuchi does not.  
  
Chapter 10  
  
Chibi-usa knelt on the grass, crying. Helios, now back to his former self, had his arms wrapped around her. It had been over an hour since he had saved her from the enemy. Now they were in Elysion, the safest place for anyone, especially royalty. Only he, one of royal blood, a sailor senshi, or anyone he allowed in could enter.  
  
"Chibi-usa," whispered Helios.  
  
The young princess's tears began to slow. When she looked up, her eyes were red and puffy from crying. She wiped away the remaining tears, sniffling a bit. After a few silent moments, she looked up at Helios.  
  
"I know," she said quietly. "Crying won't get me anywhere. But.." She bowed her head as tears began to fill her eyes again. "But Hotaru.all my friends.I don't know what happened to them.I don't know what to do!" she sobbed.  
  
Helios suddenly reached for Chibi-usa and pulled her close, holding her tightly to him. Chibi-usa's eyes widened from surprise, but she didn't pull away. "Don't cry," he whispered. "It'll all be okay." He stroked her hair gently like a dad to his young daughter.  
  
"I don't understand God sometimes," she sighed, leaning in closer. "We finally have peace, and then it's this all over again. I thought He wanted us to be happy."  
  
Helios grasped Chibi-usa's shoulders, and held her away so he could look her in the eyes. "God never wanted this, Chibi-usa. This is the work of the Devil. God will make everything better. He always has, and always will."  
  
Chibi-usa dropped her head. "I know. I just can't see what good will come out of this. I've never been able to."  
  
"That is why you must have faith."  
  
Chibi-usa leaned back up against Helios, and they sat there for a long time. Finally, after awhile, Chibi-usa stood up. Helios watched her as she brushed herself off.  
  
"Nothing will get done if we just sit here like this. I think it is time that we do something. Maybe Hotaru and the others got away alright. Maybe they're okay."  
  
Helios stood up. "You can't go out there without a plan."  
  
"A plan.yes, that is what I need. But I need to know more about the enemy before I can do anything."  
  
"You can know anything about them if you want," came a voice out of nowhere.  
  
Chibi-usa and Helios looked around, searching for the owner of the voice. A tall girl was walking towards them, her long, dark braids bouncing behind her.  
  
"Who are you?" demanded Helios, stepping in front of Chibi-usa. "How did you get down here?!"  
  
The girl stopped a few feet away from them and smiled. "It has been a long time, Helios. A long time since I've seen any of us."  
  
Golden eyes widening, Helios asked, "How do you know my name?!"  
  
The girl's purple eyes widened, but then closed. She nodded knowingly. "Of course.I forget. I'm not even born yet, technically." Stepping forward, she introduced herself. "I'm Cambertin, soldier of the constellation Pegasus."  
  
"Pegasus?!" exclaimed Helios.  
  
"Helios?" questioned Chibi-usa. "Do you know this girl?"  
  
"No," he replied. "No, I do not."  
  
A sad look came over the violet-eyed girl, but then returned to normal. Chibi-usa could barely hear her say, "I'm not born yet. Of course he doesn't know me." Cambertin spoke up, "Perhaps I should go. If we meet, then...it may change things."  
  
"No, stop!" started Helios, stepping forward. "You say that you are from Pegasus?"  
  
"Yes," replied Cambertin, smiling. A pair of white wings grew from her back, proving who she was.  
  
"It has been so long," sighed Helios. "So long since I left my home. But it was my duty to come and serve the King and Queen."  
  
Cambertin suddenly seemed to notice Chibi-usa, and dropped to a respectful stance. "I am sorry, my Lady. I was not in my place."  
  
Chibi-usa blushed at being called 'Lady'. It was the title she had always wanted. "I-it's okay," she stuttered, walking over to Cambertin. "You don't have to kneel like that."  
  
Cambertin looked up into the ruby eyes of Chibi-usa. "You really are the One..Lady Serenity..Ma-." Cambertin started, but stopped short. Standing up, she brushed herself off, muttering inaudible words to herself.  
  
"Ma-.?" wondered Chibi-usa silently. "I wonder what she was going to say."  
  
"Do you mind..if I help to protect you?" asked Cambertin, smiling.  
  
"P-protect me?" stuttered Chibi-usa. "Why? I mean."  
  
"It's what I've always wanted to do. I could never be like you.we are not the same.but I can always try to help you stay the way you are."  
  
"Stay the way I am?" asked Chibi-usa, now confused. "I don't understand.."  
  
"One day you will," said Cambertin, winking. "And now, if you will allow me, I will help you."  
  
"If you wish," replied Chibi-usa. Turning to Helios she asked, "It IS okay, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes, I believe so. She IS a sailor scout," replied Helios smiling.  
  
"She is?" asked Chibi-usa. Turning back to Cambertin, "You are?"  
  
"Yes," replied Cambertin. "Now, if I am correct.some friends are in need of help?"  
  
"Yes! Can you help?"  
  
"Always."  
  
Cambertin looked around herself, observing the wonders of Elysion. "Ah, I do miss this place," she sighed, much to Chibi-usa and Helios's confusion. Then, holding out her hand to Chibi-usa, she asked, "Are you ready?"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"Look no further!" echoed a voice.  
  
Chibi-usa's eyes widened as a figure appeared, not far away. "No way," she started. "H-Hotaru?!" Chibi-usa ran to her friend, who was covered in cuts and bruises. Blood caked Hotaru's forehead. Chibi-usa held her friend close, and Hotaru collapsed in her arms. "Hotaru?! What happened?!" cried Chibi-usa.  
  
"JunJun..CereCere..and the others..they're not the same..I..escaped..Haruka..Michiru.." spluttered Hotaru, before she blacked out.  
  
"Hotaru!!" cried Chibi-usa. 


	12. Chapter 12

I do not own Sailor Moon. CastellaStar owns any characters that Naoko Takeuchi does not.  
  
Chapter 12  
  
It was growing dark as night crept upon Crystal Tokyo. Normally, the streets would have been busy, filled with cars on their way home from work and other activities. Sidewalks would normally have been filled with people, perhaps out for a walk, or maybe getting some last-minute shopping done. Where theaters would have been filled with happy couples, they were empty. Nobody was in the city. Nobody had been there since the afternoon before. The people were all hiding in the shelters near the castle, all in fear of their lives.  
  
King Endymion was sitting near one of the shelter doors, cradling his arm, now wrapped in a sling. Even Kings could bleed..an explosion, one of many, had gone off, and he had obtained a fracture in his wrist. He was fortunate to be alive, unlike the many who weren't. For him, the wound would heal quickly, probably before he fell asleep, but it was no less painful. Times like this made Endymion thankful for his healing powers.  
  
Yet, even then, he could not heal death. So many people were dead. Thousands of people. There was more than enough room for the people in the shelters, but not always enough time. People were beginning to fall asleep. There was not much else that COULD be done. Eat, sleep, and wait until it was safe to come out. The occasional wail of a baby or the panicked sobbing of a person would break the uncomfortable silence. It was much quieter now than it had been yesterday though.  
  
Thousands of people screaming, as they rushed into the shelters, and the cries of pain from the wounded had filled the air. The echoes of it throbbed in Endymion's head, only making for a worse headache. He was very tired, having used most of his strength to heal the people.  
  
Yet, it was strange. Some people began to receive odd markings that would grow quickly. While most with the markings died, or went into a coma, others began to go insane or became strangely distant. Endymion glanced at one of the victims who was sitting in a corner, ropes wrapped tightly around him. The victim was staring at him, a wild look in his eyes. Upon Endymion's glance, the man began to laugh strangely, struggling against the ropes. A person nearby kicked him roughly and he fell silent.  
  
That particular victim had become violent and began lashing out at anything nearby. Anyone who received a cut from him began to get the same black splotches that covered his arms and legs. It was like a plague, in a sense. Whatever the enemy had done, it was working.  
  
Endymion shook his head slightly, coming out of his daze, as two figures approached. They were in black cloaks, which shrouded their faces. He couldn't see who they were, until they pulled down the hoods of their cloaks.  
  
Two young women, almost identical, slowly sat down next to him. They both had long blonde hair, streaked with different colors. One of the girls, with cerulean eyes, had her blue-streaked, golden hair wrapped into a long braid. The other, with emerald green eyes, had allowed her green-streaked, golden hair hang loose, except for a green headband. They were obviously sisters.  
  
"Are you hurt?" asked Endymion, slowly sitting up.  
  
"No, silly," giggled the one with braided hair. "YOU are."  
  
The other girl reached down and gently touched his wrist. "A fractured wrist is easy to heal," she said, her tone much more sincere. "This won't hurt."  
  
Endymion gasped as a green glow emitted from the girl's hand and enveloped his arm. Cold chills ran up and down his spine, but it was soon over.  
  
"Try moving your wrist now," said the girl who had healed him.  
  
Gently, Endymion moved his wrist. It was as good as new. There was no pain at all. It was as though nothing had ever happened. Looking up, he stated, "You are sailor senshi."  
  
"Yup!" laughed the girl who had watched her sister heal him. "Good guess!"  
  
"Your names?" he asked.  
  
"Aya!" giggled the braided-haired one.  
  
"I am Yue," replied her sister.  
  
"Well Aya.and Yue.thank you," he said, sitting up straighter now. "Now, I know many sailor senshi, but I don't believe I've seen you two before."  
  
"We're not from here," replied Yue.  
  
"Then where are you from?"  
  
"Oh, from around, ya know," laughed Aya. "Hither and thither; round and about sort of thing."  
  
Yue waited for her sister to finish chattering. Then, she spoke up. "We are strangers to this world and time."  
  
"Yes," agreed Endymion, nodding knowingly. "I sense that you are from the future."  
  
"Your intuitions are as sharp ass the history books say."  
  
"Wow, you're so smart! How'd you guess?" rambled Aya.  
  
Quickly and quietly, Yue hit Aya on the back of her head with her hand. It wouldn't have been noticed, except for when Aya turned to Yue. "Hey! That hurt! What'd you do that far? You could really hurt someone if you're not careful!"  
  
A sweat drop formed on Yue's head as she sighed exasperatedly. "Will you ever learn?" she mumbled.  
  
"Learn what, Yue?"  
  
A sweat drop formed on Endymion's head as he listened to Aya begging Yue to tell her what she needed to learn. He smiled slightly, almost sadly, because it reminded him of his wife and child. Just as Aya began giving Yue puppy dog eyes, the sound of a loud explosion filled the air.  
  
The cries of shock from all of the people followed, and the ground shook from the effects of the explosion. Bits of dust and rock showered everyone. The cry of a baby filled the air, along with the worried chatter of the people.  
  
Endymion leapt up, but had to balance himself from the shaking ground. "Is everyone all right?" he called out. "Is anyone hurt?" There was no wail of pain or cry for help, she he started to leave for the other shelters.  
  
"Wait, my King!" cried Aya, grabbing Endymion's arm. "It is not safe."  
  
Yue was standing as well, looking towards the entrance of the shelter. That was where the explosion had originated. "Aya," whispered Yue, in a tense voice. "They're here."  
  
Aya looked at Yue and then up at Endymion. "Well," she said, breaking into a smile, "I believe it would be best if you stayed here. Me and Yue can handle this!"  
  
"Yes," agreed Yue. "Plus, we have a score to settle anyways."  
  
Endymion looked from Yue to Aya and then back again. Nodding, he said, "I will respect your decision. But realize, that if the danger grows too much, I will have to stand up as well."  
  
Yue nodded, as well as Aya, if not a bit reluctantly.  
  
"Very well," said Yue.  
  
Another explosion shook the ground. More dust and pieces of rock fell from the ceiling. Cries started up from the panicked people, but they fell silent as a cackle filled the air.  
  
"A shadow cannot live without its body!" laughed the sinister voice.  
  
"The shadow is ever-longing for its master!" continued a second voice.  
  
"The master which it will overtake and use for its own dark purposes!" said the first voice.  
  
"Shadow forever follows the light! Light is never without darkness!" said the second voice.  
  
"Now it is time for the light to return to its new master of darkness!" the two voiced echoed simultaneously.  
  
An eerie silence had filled the shelters as the two voices spoke their strange words. A choked sob filled the air, and it was soon followed by even more intensely panicked cries of the people.  
  
"They know we are here," muttered Yue.  
  
"It is time," agreed Aya.  
  
The two cloaked figures of Aya and Yue moved towards the entrance. They opened the door and slipped away into the darkness that had sullen over a sullen world. Endymion watched as the two disappeared without a backward glance, left in the dark as to what they had said.  
  
"They know we are here," he murmured, contemplating the words Yue had said. 


	13. Chapter 13

I do not own Sailor Moon. CastellaStar owns any characters that Naoko Takeuchi does not.  
  
Chapter 13  
  
Ariya opened her eyes. Looking around, she could see that it was still night. Sitting up, she began to wonder what had woken her up. Was it a dream? Ariya was barely holding on to the edges of her dream. It had been strange.  
  
In the dream, she remembered seeing blood on her own hands. She was kneeling by Cambertin whose eyes were closed. Ariya remembered trying to wake her friend up, but she wouldn't. Then, there was a flash of light. Cambertin was gone, but in her place was a baby. Ariya remembered standing up and seeing her friends.they had all grown so tall. It had been so strange..  
  
Was that what had woken her up? No. The sound of feet rushing by and worried voices reached her ears. Pulling off the covers, Ariya put her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Walking carefully over to where the door was, she felt around for the handle. When she found it, she slowly opened the door and peeked out. Somebody had their back facing her, and was blocking her view. There was pain..Ariya could sense that someone had been hurt. That was when Ariya knew what had awoken her.  
  
Reaching behind her ear, Ariya felt around. When she found what she was looking for, she pulled it out: a silvery-white feather. Cambertin had called her. Opening the door all the way, Ariya stepped around the person in front of her. What met her eyes next caused her heart to skip a beat, and drove the dream from her mind.  
  
Sailor Saturn had been laid on several cushions. Her body was covered in cuts, bruises, and dried blood. She was unconscious at the moment. Ariya rushed over to the wounded senshi and knelt down beside her.  
  
"What happened?!" demanded Ariya, looking at the trio who had brought her in.  
  
"It's the Shadow Stars' doing," explained Cambertin, kneeling down next to Ariya.  
  
Pausing long enough to glance back and forth at Cambertin, Helios, and Chibi-usa, Ariya nodded. Like a doctor, Ariya began feeling around Hotaru's body, searching for internal injuries and broken bones. Cambertin let out a sigh, looked at Ariya, and then back up to Helios and Chibi-usa.  
  
"Cammy." started Ariya, watching her friend carefully.  
  
Ignoring Ariya, Cambertin stood up. "I must request that you leave the area temporarily, my Lady."  
  
"It's Chibi-usa!" corrected the Princess quickly. "But.why?"  
  
Cambertin smiled and replied, "I have to make sure that Hotaru is completely okay."  
  
Chibi-usa got a confused look on her face. ".and I have to leave?"  
  
"My technique isn't safe for others to be around me. Including Ariya."  
  
Sighing, Ariya stood up. She gave an unreadable glance to Cambertin, but then smiled at the confused Chibi-usa and Helios. "Please.let's go!" she said, gently guiding them along.  
  
Chibi-usa gave one last backward glance at Cambertin who waved and winked. Before closing the door, Ariya looked at Cambertin, worry written all over her face. Cambertin gave her a thumbs-up sign, and Ariya closed the door.  
  
When the door closed, the happy smile completely dropped from Cambertin's face. Her eyes darkened from their usual bright purple to almost black. Turning, Cambertin began to stare at Hotaru, who lay on the ground, knowing nothing of the nightmare that would take place next.  
  
The room began to dim, and the lights flickered. A wind began to pick up, but no windows were open to let it in. Cambertin's normally-white wings grew from her back, but were pitch black. The room continued to darken and the wind was picking up.  
  
Cambertin began to speak, but in a voice that did not seem her own. "Along with the gift You bestowed upon me, Lord, came a curse. The Devil uses corruption to bend things to his will..eternal death. Yet even then, You bend it back to Your will. Fear of death is for those who do not know what follows. Thus, I embrace death as my own.and give life."  
  
The wind was howling in the now-pitch black room. As she had spoken, the lights had shattered. A purple light began to envelop both Cambertin and Hotaru until they were a glowing sphere of light. Cambertin folded her arms across her chest and closed her eyes, tilting her head up, as the winds howled around her.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
It was silent. The silence of death was always peaceful. Cambertin slowly opened her eyes and smiled. She looked at herself.clothed in her sailor fuku.but it was slightly altered. The colors had darkened, and her wings were still pitch black. Strange markings, similar to tribal ones, covered her arms and legs. A few also marked her face. Looking up, Cambertin could see the figure floating before her in the darkness.  
  
"Death will not come for you," whispered Cambertin, drawing the figure close.  
  
The scarred figure of Hotaru lay limp in Cambertin's arms. Cambertin's hand gently stroked the face of Sailor Saturn, in a motherly way. "Ah..blessed senshi of the solar system..you fight for what is pure and good, never looking back. We are similar in a way..feared for the gift that the Lord bestowed upon us. Yet, I am merely a shadow compared to you, and thus, I am hidden from people's knowledge. Awaken..awaken.."  
  
Tears had begun to fall from Cambertin's face. They fell onto Hotaru's face, and glittered in the darkness. The scars and blood that covered Hotaru slowly began to disappear as the tears continued to fall from Cambertin's eyes. Hotaru's eyes slowly fluttered open.  
  
"Rain?" she muttered.  
  
Hotaru looked up into an unfamiliar face. Tears were falling from the person's face and onto her own. "Who.?" wondered Hotaru, as she reached up to touch the stranger's face. She could not see the person's face clearly through the falling tears, but she could see that the person had wings. "An angel.?" she muttered.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
The noise was too much for Chibi-usa to bear any longer. "What is going on?!" she yelled at Ariya, covering her ears with her hands to block out the terrible noise.  
  
"It is okay," replied Ariya, smiling gently. "It's all okay."  
  
"Okay?!" exclaimed Chibi-usa. "It sounds like a tornado in there!"  
  
They were silent for a few minutes longer. As the minutes passed though, a worried look began to grow on Ariya's face. Without stopping long enough to think of the consequences, Chibi-usa dashed towards the closed door and shoved them as hard as she could. The doors flew open, and were forced all of the way around only to slam into the walls of the room. Chibi-usa's eyes widened from shock as the powerful winds began to push her back. Debris flew at her from all directions, and Chibi-usa had to shield her face with her arms. Peeking through the crack between her arms, Chibi-usa could see what looked like something straight out of a nightmare.  
  
"Demon.?!" started Chibi-usa, fighting against the wind with all of her might.  
  
A creature, completely black, was holding Hotaru. A purple glow surrounded both of them.the creature and Hotaru. Suddenly, the creature looked up at Chibi-usa, slanted eyes glowing the same purple as the light surrounding it. It's figure was distorted, but it almost seemed like a person. The creature, still holding onto Hotaru, held up a hand..was that a hand?......towards Chibi-usa, palm facing her. Words of an unfamiliar language were spoken, but they sounded terrible.like nails scraping against a chalkboard. Something had formed in the creature's hand.  
  
Chibi-usa couldn't move. She was too frightened. When the creature threw the object in hand, she just stood there, frozen. Chibi-usa looked away and held her arms up in defense as the object hurtled towards her. Chibi-usa could hear someone screaming.was that her?...was she screaming?...  
  
A grunt. Something wet dripped on Chibi-usa's arms and head. Peeking carefully, Chibi-usa could see blood.but there was no pain. Chibi-usa looked up and gasped. Ariya stood in front of her, arms spread out, and smiling weakly down at the young princess. Blood was running down her arms and legs, and her hair had gone wild. Tears of pain were running down her face, but she kept smiling anyways.  
  
"A-Ariya.," started Chibi-usa, too shocked to move.  
  
"Don't worry, Princess," whispered Ariya, as she fell to her knees. Ariya looked back towards the howling creature that was now standing. Hotaru lay on the floor next to it. Ariya held up her hand as a glowing ball of energy formed in it.  
  
The creature stepped closer to Ariya and Chibi-usa, a wicked smile on its face. Ariya forced herself to stand back up.it hurt, but this was nothing compared to last time. Ariya smiled slightly at the memory. "It seems that we will duel again...neh, Cammy?"  
  
"Cammy.you mean that.that thing is Cambertin?!" screeched Chibi-usa, her eyes wide with fright.  
  
Ariya wasn't listening anymore. She couldn't. A sound began to fill her ears.it whistled, rising up and down, like a flute. The glowing sphere of energy that she held in her hands began to reach out like snakes and wrapped itself around Ariya. "Dragon Magic." she heard herself say, but it was distant. She had closed her eyes, but now they snapped back open, a strange light in them. The wounds that had covered her arms and legs were gone.as well as her sailor fuku. Her body was covered in a blinding light that began to take shape.  
  
The creature that was Cambertin lashed out at Ariya, ignoring the light. But the creature's arm was blocked. When it tried to pull away, it couldn't. Ariya held onto its arm with a grip of death. The light faded, but did not go completely away. Her wings had become a silver-white color, and seemed to glow on their own. A pure white dress covered her body, and a tiara of diamonds circled across her forehead. She held a piece of paper, strange writing all over it, which had several ribbons attached to it.  
  
The creature fought harder and managed to free itself of Ariya's grip. It swung it's arm back and lashed at Ariya's face. Scratches appeared and blood began to drip, but both faded in a sparkling light. "Release Cambertin!" roared Ariya, her voice loud and stern. "I demand you, under the name of God, leave this body!" Ariya reached out and grabbed the creature around the neck, and slapped the piece of paper onto its forehead, similar to an ofuda scroll. "Demon! Be transformed!"  
  
The creature, while one hand held onto Ariya's arm, tried to pull the paper off of its forehead. The paper began to glow with a radiant silver light, and the creature let out a terrible howl. The purple light began to disappear into the paper. Ariya let go of the creature, which collapsed to the floor. It curled up, howling and cursing in a strange tongue. The light of the paper began to spread over the creature, until it completely covered it. When the light faded, Cambertin lay on the floor, her braids undone and burnt slightly. A black mark on her forehead faded away, and her body suddenly looked as though she had been slashed to ribbons, blood trailing down her legs, face, and arms.  
  
Ariya knelt down, smiling sadly, and lifted Cambertin in her arms. Not looking back at Chibi-usa, Helios, or Hotaru, she carried Cambertin down the hallway. Chibi-usa stared after them, but didn't dare budge. Suddenly, a movement caught her attention, and she looked over to see Hotaru trying to get up.  
  
"Hotaru!" she cried. Running over to her friend, Chibi-usa helped her up and held her in a tight hug. "I'm so glad...so glad." she whispered, tears streaming down her face.  
  
Hotaru smiled weakly down at her friend, holding her in a hug. "It was thanks to an angel." she sighed. 


	14. Chapter 14

I do not own Sailor Moon. CastellaStar owns any characters that Naoko Takeuchi doesn't.  
  
Chapter 14  
  
Aya and Yue stood together in the darkness. Aya clutched her cloak closely to herself, staring ahead at what was in front of them. A sneer had plastered itself on Yue's face as she stood there, slightly in front of her sister. Her green eyes glared at the two figures that were standing and laughing in front of them.  
  
"What is it this time?" snarled Yue. "It seems that wherever we go, you follow."  
  
"You still deny it," came the all-familiar voice of Alsura. "Amusing, really. You're like the cat who won't face his reflection in the water. Tee- hee."  
  
"Deny? Deny what exactly?" demanded Yue. "We have nothing to deny. You are shrouded by the darkness, fools. It is time that we finish this once and for all."  
  
"Finish?" snickered Vona. "Finished? We are never finished? Ever. Even Sailor Moon, or should I say Neo-Queen Serenity, has never been able to get rid of us. Not completely, anyways."  
  
"Besides," sighed Alsura, looking up at the sky, "The designated time has not arrived. The final battle will happen soon.but not yet."  
  
"Designated time?" whispered Aya, looking worriedly from Alsura to Vona and back again. Fear showed clearly in her eyes, for she knew what they were speaking of. "It won't...it can't happen..not again."  
  
"Ooooh.are you scared?" asked Vona, her voice smooth and comforting.  
  
Aya looked up at Vona, her eyes widening, and tears formed in them. She hid behind Yue slightly, and closed her eyes tightly, bending her head away from them. "No! I am not afraid!" she cried. "I will NOT be afraid!" She looked back up at Alsura and Vona, an angry light in her eyes. She grabbed her right earring, and threw off her cloak. "Pulsar Spark..MAKEUP!!!" she cried.  
  
Blue, pink, and black ribbons of sparkling light wrapped themselves around Aya. They fitted to her body in the same way as the original sailor fuku. Yue followed suit, yelling, "Nova Spark..MAKEUP!!!" Green, pink, and black ribbons wrapped themselves around Yue in a similar transformation to Aya's. When they had finished transforming, they stood there in an altered version of the sailor fuku. Instead of the normal white one-piece body, there's was separated into a black two-piece body. The collars were both dark pink, and their ankle-length boots were black. Their skirts were both double-layered, the top part black with a star print on it. The only difference between their outfit was the colors of the bows and second layer of the skirt: Aya's was blue and Yue's green.  
  
"You still haven't figured it out yet, have you?" snarled Vona, not amused. "You can do nothing to us, even in that form..unless, of course.."  
  
Yue's mouth tightened slightly, and her eyes seemed to go out of focus. She seemed to be thinking extremely hard about something.trying to decide something. She clenched her hands tightly, glancing sideways at Aya, who's face hid nothing.  
  
The darkness around them seemed to grow heavier and heavier with each passing moment. A distant rumble erupted from the sky, announcing the oncoming thunderstorm. Aya looked up at the star-studded sky, upon hearing the thunder. Her eyebrows rose slightly, and an expression of confusion contorted her features. Yue's eyes followed Aya's gaze to the sky, and confusion appeared on even her face.  
  
"Strange." murmured Yue. "Thunder.but no clouds?"  
  
A voice echoed out of the darkness. "Jupiter.Rolling.THUNDER!!!"  
  
The sky gave off a deafening peal of thunder, followed soon by pillars of lightning that came crashing amidst the four who were facing off. Clouds of dust filled the sky, blinding anyone who was around. Screams of pain and anger filled the air, but were drowned out by the crashes of thunder. When the thunder died, there was complete silence, except for a slight wind that rustled among the trees.  
  
"Hey, that was pretty good, Makoto-chan!" giggled a voice.  
  
"Stop it, Minako, you're embarrassing me!" followed the voice of Makoto.  
  
There were a few choked coughs, before another voice spoke up. "You know that you shouldn't use your attacks like that!!!" came the upset voice of Ami. "What if somebody else had been around? And besides..you are acting like children!"  
  
"Oh, come off it, Ami! Nobody else was around! Everyone's in the shelters remember?" laughed Makoto.  
  
"Well, you never know!" exclaimed Ami.  
  
"Alright, alright," came the irritated voice of Rei. "Let's not have anymore delays, okay? We need to get down to the shelters and make sure everyone's okay."  
  
"Right, right, right," muttered Minako. "Always work. No play."  
  
The four figures of the inner senshi materialized from the darkness. There figures were easily seen, because of the glowing aura that surrounded each of them. It might as well have been day with how clearly they could be seen, now that they were out of the trees. A moan emitted from the area that Sailor Jupiter had struck with her attack.  
  
"Whoa, stop!" shouted Ami. "Did you hear that?"  
  
They stopped, listening for what Sailor Mercury had heard. The dust had begun to settle, and as it cleared, two shadowy figures could be seen lying on the ground. Makoto looked as though she would pass out from shock.  
  
"Oh..my..gosh.." she muttered. Running over to the two figures, she knelt down next to one of them, who lay in a tattered and blackened cloak. "I don't believe it," she yelled angrily. "Of all places, and all times!!!"  
  
Ami ran over to the other figure, soon followed by Rei and Minako. She lifted the figure up by the shoulders gently, and shook her slightly. "Hey!" she called out. "Hey! Are you alright?!"  
  
The figure moaned slightly, and tried to sit up. As she did this, the hood of her cloak fell back to reveal the face of Aya. Her face was blackened slightly, and her hair was singed. She looked up at Ami weakly, and smiled slightly.  
  
"Thank you," she said, before she fell back, unconscious.  
  
"Come on!" yelled Rei. "We need to get them back to the castle quick!"  
  
"But what about the people in the shelters?" asked Minako.  
  
"You and Makoto take care of these two girls.get them back to the castle and get them some help as quick as possible," replied Ami. "Rei and I will take care of checking on the citizens."  
  
"Right!" acknowledged Minako, with a quick nod of her head. Kneeling down, she pulled one of Aya's arms around her shoulders, and lifted her up, struggling slightly.  
  
Makoto waited for her, the other girl, Yue, lying limply in her arms. Her face was filled with worry and anger at the same time, but she nodded at Ami and Rei as they waved and left. Then, without waiting for Minako, she stormed back towards the castle. Minako hurried after her as quickly as possible, trying to keep Aya's feet from dragging as much as possible.  
  
When the sailor scouts had disappeared in opposite directions, two figures appeared out of nowhere. It was Vona and Alsura, both covered in burn marks. Vona leaned back against one of the trees, and Alsura knelt, slumped over, on the ground.  
  
"Those cursed sailor scouts!" growled Vona. "Curse them! They will not get away with this!"  
  
Alsura lifted herself up slightly, turning to Vona. "These bodies will support us still.it was lucky that we did not get the full blast of that attack!" she moaned.  
  
"How did they get so powerful?" muttered Vona.  
  
"I.don't know," sighed Alsura. "There isn't any way they could have leveled up like that without help."  
  
"Of course," spat Vona suddenly. "I should have known. Those two sailor senshi that annoyed us so. Perhaps they are smarter than we thought, after all."  
  
Alsura looked up at Vona. "You mean those two with the wings? I thought we ditched them a long time ago."  
  
"It certainly doesn't seem that way now, does it? I suppose they managed to get out of the blast's way in time."  
  
Alsura did not reply. She was out cold, lying on the ground. Vona slowly knelt down and carefully lifted Alsura up. Her eyes were cold as ice, full of anger and pain. "This time, no more fooling around. It's time to get serious.and I will not underestimate them again," she growled. Then, with that, she disappeared with Alsura, leaving the darkness to rest in peace. 


	15. Chapter 15

I do not own Sailor Moon. CastellaStar owns any characters that Naoko Takeuchi doesn't.  
  
Chapter 15.  
  
Serenity held her face in her hands, elbows leaning against the table that sat in front of her. Her entire body was tense, and her breathing was heavy, and sweat trickled down her face. Things had gone wrong..terribly wrong. The ticking bomb that Sailor Mars had mentioned had gone off, but it seemed that it was one that would go off many more times. A sailor scout as powerful as the soldier of destruction, if not more-so, was residing in their castle at that very moment.  
  
"Mother."  
  
Interrupted from her thoughts, Serenity looked up. In front of her, the crown princess, her daughter Chibi-usa stood, creases of worry all over her face. Beside her stood Hotaru..Sailor Saturn..the soldier of destruction, herself. Chibi-usa and Hotaru watched as Serenity looked up at both of them, and then as her crystal blue eyes went out of focus once again. Chibi- usa lay a bandaged hand on the table that her mother leaned against. The cuts she had received were minor compared to what she should have gotten out of what had happened earlier.  
  
"Mother," repeated Chibi-usa.  
  
Serenity blinked, surprised, and her eyes came back into focus. The queen's face did not..could not..hide any expressions what-so-ever. Sighing, Serenity forced herself to stand up. She walked around the table and walked over to Chibi-usa so that she was standing right up next to her. Holding her daughter's face in her hands, Serenity gently traced the cuts that Chibi-usa had received with her fingers.  
  
"You should not be so reckless, my daughter," murmured Serenity.  
  
"Serenity!" said Hotaru in a loud, commanding voice. "I apologize for not being formal, but this is no time to worry over a few cuts. We are getting ready to fight in a war, and now it seems that we may have trouble on our side. You can not ignore it. I'm sorry, my queen, but you just can not ignore it."  
  
Serenity's eyes hardened, and she nodded sharply, allowing her hand to drop away from her daughter's face. Her normally soft voice was now stronger.more serious.as she walked over to one of the many windows in the room. "So.our soldier of dreams.is not just what she seems."  
  
"None of us are, my queen."  
  
Serenity whirled around, surprised by the new voice. Ariya was standing by the door; she had slipped in quietly, without anyone noticing. "Excuse me for interrupting, my Queen, but perhaps it is best for me to be here at a time like this."  
  
"Yes, perhaps it is," agreed Serenity, her eyes scanning Ariya from head to toe in a suspicious manner. "You do understand if I can not hold full trust in you anymore."  
  
"Of course. You must also understand that we could not hold full trust in you."  
  
Serenity nodded slowly. She turned towards the window once more, before saying, "All of the other senshi will know about this before the battle begins. First though, I want to know what I am about to explain to them. I have only heard from Hotaru and my daughter. Now I want to hear from you."  
  
Ariya leaned back against one of the walls opposite from where Serenity stood. "Cambertin and I are not your ordinary sailor senshi, as you now know."  
  
Serenity nodded in affirmation, not looking away from the window. Continuing, Ariya explained their story. "I can not explain how or why we are different, but it is the way we were born. Cambertin was given an ability as strong as Sailor Saturn. I can not say if it is stronger, for I have not seen everything to her, even though I have been traveling with her for a long time. She most certainly has the potential though. At one point in time, a demon tried to possess Cambertin, but was unable to..it was the same one that we are preparing to battle against now. Rather than being possessed, Cambertin somehow absorbed this demon and crushed it inside her own body. The demon managed to escape, and it even left Cambertin a small present. It attempted to leave a small bead of evil in her that would grow and grow until it ate her up inside, but with her ability, it changed into something much different.much more useful."  
  
Serenity looked over to Ariya, "And I assume that is what my daughter saw not too long ago."  
  
"That was only a small part of it," replied Ariya, smirking slightly. "When Cambertin transforms, she becomes the senshi, Sailor Pegasus. She is the soldier of dreams. If Cambertin is attacked.or if she submits to it by her own will.Cambertin will transform again. A dream has two parts to it; one is still only called a dream.the other is called a nightmare. If she submits to the darkness inside of her completely.or if she is attacked.she transforms again. She is still Sailor Pegasus, but she is no longer the soldier of dreams."  
  
"She is the soldier of nightmares," finished Serenity, understanding what Ariya was trying to say.  
  
"Yes," affirmed Ariya hesitantly, "but.that is not the end of it."  
  
"What do you mean?" demanded Serenity, facing Ariya completely.  
  
Breathing deeply, the mysterious senshi continued, "What you saw.or rather what Lady Serenity saw.was Cambertin merely submitting to this darkness.without transformation. All Lady Serenity saw was the untransformed form.the form of a nightmare taken shape."  
  
"Are you saying that Cambertin becomes the nightmare?!" exclaimed Serenity, her eyes widening slightly.  
  
"In a sense, yes," replied Ariya, "But that is not the entire form. There is a third form.her final one.she has no control over this form what-so- ever. She becomes the soldier of pain."  
  
"Pain?" repeated Serenity, baffled. "What on earth does pain have to do with dreams and nightmares?"  
  
Ariya's eyes had been closed as she explained, but now they opened to meet Serenity's crystal blue ones. Her voice became cold.harsh.unforgiving.as she continued, "You know nothing about Cambertin. Pain is what eats at Cambertin every day.every moment.of her life! Can you not see that in her eyes, Queen?! She has felt pain since she was born, and so to find comfort, she lost herself in her own dreams. Of course, she can not escape the pain completely even there.and if she can not get far enough away from it, it terrorizes her with nightmares!!"  
  
"What pain are you talking about?" asked Serenity, taken aback by the tone of Ariya's voice. "What would cause a thing like this?"  
  
"Cambertin is dying," replied Ariya. Her voice had become a mere noise, but her face seemed to say everything. There was a very uncomfortable silence in the room, and the wind rattling the windows could be heard.  
  
Slowly, Queen Serenity repeated what Ariya had just said. "Cambertin is..dying?"  
  
"Yeah.I am," came a husky voice which cracked slightly.  
  
Serenity watched as Cambertin opened the door to the room the rest of the way. She looked as though she was ready to cry, but she didn't. She merely stared at Cambertin, wrapped in bandages, as though she was seeing something new. Cambertin slowly walked over to a chair, limping slightly, and sat down in it. Making herself comfortable, she rested her chin on her elbow and glanced from Ariya to Serenity to Hotaru and Chibi-usa.  
  
"What?" snorted Cambertin, grinning slightly. "It's no big deal. Everyone dies eventually."  
  
"But.," started Chibi-usa, her eyes wide with surprise.  
  
"But what?" laughed Cambertin. "Like I said, it's no big deal. I still have awhile to live as long as I don't mess up too much."  
  
"Mess up? What do you mean mess up?" asked Serenity.  
  
"Well.it's kind of hard to explain," started Cambertin. "We'll just say that every time I use a certain ability my life gets drained a little bit."  
  
"And what ability would that be?"  
  
"The one.the one you used for me," interrupted Hotaru. "It's that one, isn't it?"  
  
"One of the many," replied Cambertin, smiling. "Don't worry about it. That one didn't take up much. Just a day or so."  
  
"A day to live!" exclaimed Hotaru, her fists clenched. "Why would you do that? I mean.you.you don't even know me!"  
  
Cambertin stood up and walked over to Hotaru until she was standing directly in front of the soldier of destruction. Placing a hand on her shoulder, she said quietly, "You.you of all people.should know the answer to that one.you're one of the few who should be able to understand."  
  
Hotaru's violet eyes stared up at Cambertin for a moment, and slowly a familiar, dark iciness filled them. "Yes.you're right," she whispered. "Of course. It is just like everything else."  
  
Serenity, Chibi-usa, and Ariya stared, not saying a word. Hotaru turned and smiled at Chibi-usa, and Cambertin began to walk towards the door. She started to leave, but stopped for a moment. Looking over at Serenity, her eyes narrowed a bit as she said, "It's not nice to talk about people behind their backs, ya know." Then her eyes widened and a grin grew on her face. "Besides, I'm hungry. One of the best treatments for anything is a nice, hot meal." Winking, she continued on her way.  
  
Serenity blinked, as did everyone else. The silence returned, but it was more of a surprised silence than anything else. They all looked at each other and then towards the way that Cambertin had left. Chibi-usa was the first to speak.  
  
"Well, as she said.a hot meal sounds good to me!" she exclaimed, smiling slightly. Grabbing Hotaru's arm, she dragged her out the door, soon followed by Serenity and Ariya.  
  
Serenity and Chibi-usa walked into the kitchens to give out orders, and Hotaru tagged along. Ariya continued on to the dining room, only to find Cambertin waiting by the door, leaning against the wall.  
  
"I figured you'd be the first," stated Cambertin, grinning.  
  
Ariya's eyes were filled with sincerity, just as her voice was, "How much did you really give up, Cambertin? How much did you REALLY give up?"  
  
Cambertin merely smiled.but the smile did not reach her eyes. Ariya watched Cambertin walk into the dining room, and tears slowly filled her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away before anyone else could see. She glanced around, seeing Serenity and the others walking towards her, waved, and went on into the room. 


End file.
